Emmett Johnson · Samaje Perine · 2026 week 9

Emmett Johnson or Samaje Perine?

Wondering who you should start this week — Emmett Johnson or Samaje Perine? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Samaje Perine — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 0.1 points. The matchup leans Samaje Perine (ATL allow the 7th-most RB points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 9	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Emmett Johnson	vs NYJ	6.4	12th	11.1	301	healthy
Samaje Perine START	@ ATL	6.5	7th · soft	8.8	31	healthy

RBs vs NYJ recently: Corey Kiner 5.7 pts (W6) · Ollie Gordon II 16.3 pts (W7) · Mike Washington Jr. 8.3 pts (W8).

RBs vs ATL recently: D'Andre Swift 19 pts (W6) · Christian McCaffrey 16 pts (W7) · Bucky Irving 21 pts (W8).

🎓 The coach's read

Projections are 0.1 apart — too close to call on projection alone.
Samaje Perine has the higher floor (1) — the safer start if you are favoured.
Emmett Johnson has the higher ceiling (14.3) — the play if you need points.
Emmett Johnson is boom-or-bust — about 11% more volatile week to week than a typical RB projected here — wider range in both directions.
Emmett Johnson faces NYJ, 12th most generous to RBs.
Samaje Perine faces ATL, 7th most generous to RBs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Emmett Johnson carries the higher trade value — 301 against 31 (a 90% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Emmett Johnson gets the most. Momentum: Emmett Johnson +123 and Samaje Perine +31 over the last 30 days.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More RB decisions

Emmett Johnson or Seth McGowan?Emmett Johnson or Kaelon Black?Emmett Johnson or RJ Harvey?Samaje Perine or Dylan Sampson?Samaje Perine or Brian Robinson Jr.?Samaje Perine or Kendre Miller?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.